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Get to Know Your Carabiners

The carabiner is one of the staples of rock climbing, and it comes in more than one variety. You will absolutely need to take carabiners with you on your next expedition (and, in fact, each and every expedition you go on), but it's a good idea to understand the different shapes, types, and functions of carabiners before you start packing away.

The most simple is the D carabiner. These are desgined for fast and simple linking and they don't lock into place. They weren't designed to have a lot of pressure put on where the rope meets the opening, but they easily handle most situations. However, for some situations you will want to opt for the pear shaped carabiner, which is more versatile as far as ties and ropes that it can support.

Some carabiners come with locks and some are unlocked. Locking carabiners come in more than one form. The most common is the screw-gate lock, which involves twisting or screwing a cover into place over the top of the gap in the carabiner to lock it. Automatic locks are also available and save some time and add some convenience. The automatic locks will lock your carabiner into place every time you close it, and you will simply need to push or pull on an additional mechanism to release the lock.

As a beginning rock climber, you should only need D carabiners, but you will want both the locking and unlocking varieties. As you continue in rock climbing and start taking lead on the rope, investing in more expensive carabiners with different functionality becomes a wise decision.